


birds

by stainedglassbirds



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Anxiety, F/F, Its implied, Near Death Experiences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:48:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21643942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stainedglassbirds/pseuds/stainedglassbirds
Summary: -Ducktales/ATLA crossover-Lena meets someone familiar in the Spirit World.
Relationships: Lena (Disney: DuckTales) & Della Duck, Lena (Disney: DuckTales)/Webby Vanderquack
Comments: 2
Kudos: 92
Collections: Avatar Tales: A Ducktales AU





	birds

She’s drifting.  
  
An endless abyss surrounds her mind, the edges blurring and shifting. She feels empty. Maybe there should have been something more, a haze of panic, deep stuttering pain that turns numb, or worrying about how things will move on without her.  
  
There is something (somebody) she should be thinking about.  
  
The thought doesn’t quite reach.  
  
It’s just this. Her and this cold void, somewhere she doesn’t even know, out of reach from the living world. It’s quiet. It’s comforting. She can feel herself slipping, the lingering feeling of frostbite on her fingertips fading. Warmth is coming now, she closes her eyes, and-  
  
and-  
  
and...  
  
What?  
  
Her eyes snap open.  
  
She can’t-  
  
She can’t hear her own breathing. The thought, suddenly, _abruptly_ , crashes into her. There is no sound. Her heartbeat, where did it go? _Where did everything go_?  
  
Her hands- her body her legs her... it’s not real. It’s not real, it’s not real, it’s not REAL.  
  
She needs to wake up. She can’t get a hold of her thoughts, them slipping out of her reach each time she goes to grab one, and she doesn’t know what she’s going back to if she wakes up (an empty house _unbelievable pain_ the scent of cookies _old foster homes_ the knowledge she needs to move _warmth_ somebody, there, waiting) but she needs to get _OUT_.  
  
There is not an out. There isn’t an anything.  
  
Can’t she find something? Can’t the universe be merciful, just this once? She tries to call out, for someone, anything, but her voice isn’t there. It echoes into nothing and nothing echoes back.  
  
But  
  
the nothing-  
  
it’s shifting.  
  
Instinctively, she reaches out, trying to find her way to it. The feeling of mist envelopes her, and she notices the ghostly blue of her body, how it almost glowed.  
  
The void brightens, a flicker of pain twinging before fading immediately, and the void is _dancing_ as it turns less from a void and more into a world, a world  
  
that she  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Lena gasps.  
  
She jolts upright, and- oh, _oh_ , bad mistake. She brings her hands up to her head as the world spins, kaleidoscopes spinning in her vision that pound and sing in her head, drums thrumming into a headache. She squeezes her eyes shut, hard, trying to calm it. Everything feels tingly, but there isn't the pain she expected.  
  
She discards the thought for now, waiting for the dizziness to clear before evaluating the situation.  
  
Deep breaths. Inhale, hold, exhale.  
  
Lena sighs.  
  
The moment she feels everything still, she immediately looks up, glancing around desperately to make sure everything is _okay_ and it’s real and Webby is fine and she’s-  
  
She’s...  
  
outside.  
  
No. That’s not right. She’s...  
  
Trees loom overhead almost intimidatingly, a blue sky shimmering with dark and light shades above her. She doesn’t recognize any of it, unfamiliar plants dotting the grass. Where is she? Is she hallucinating? Dreaming...? She rubs at her eyes when... she notices something.  
  
Lena pauses.  
  
Slowly, she brings up her hands, staring at them. They’re... what? It doesn’t make any sense, why are her hands _blue_? Her entire body, blue and ghost-like, and she can see how it’s slightly transparent, bushes and flowers showing through her skin. She doesn’t understand, _what the hell is going on_?  
  
She can feel panic creeping up on her, the flood of anxiety seeping into her bones as she brings up her legs and curls into herself. Is this another one of Magica’s tricks? _Is she dead_ ?  
  
Lena shudders, tears brimming in her eyes, some escaping the hold and running down her cheeks. Freaking out now is such a bad idea but she can’t _control it_ , every time it feels like a tidal wave is coming.  
  
She can’t do this, she can’t do this, she needs to stop. She doesn’t know where she is, or what’s going on, that’s why panicking now would be the worst mistake she could make. She needs to keep moving instead of sitting here like a scared little kid.  
  
Lena continues sitting there like a scared little kid, though, trying to focus on the misty feeling in the air.  
  
The place feels familiar, she notes, a ray of sunshine through the clouds forming in her mind. Like she’s been here before. Lena thinks it’s the only thing keeping her from really breaking down, the sense she knows this place.  
  
A memory nips at her.  
  
This place...  
  
It has to be the Spirit World.  
  
Lena inhales slowly, holding it for a moment, before exhaling.  
  
Spirits and people have long since existed in the same realm now, the Spirit World and Earth’s connection no longer being severed due to the last Avatar, the one before her, Korra, bringing them together.  
  
Sometimes Lena wishes she could speak to Korra, or any past Avatar, just to get some guidance. She’s not sure if it’s still possible. But, she’s here now. Lena doesn’t really know... why. She doesn’t think being unconscious is exactly the same as being enlightened. Maybe in the same group, but times are changing though, so for all she knows it is now in this fucked up place.  
  
A not-so-great thing is that her knowledge of the Spirit World is very slim. She’s not even sure if she could find her physical body to get back to it. Maybe she just needs to wait for when she wakes up in the real world, and this is more like some... freaky dream?  
  
Freaky dream. At least Lena knows how to deal with those.  
  
Lena slowly uncurls from herself, hauling herself up to her feet. The clearing almost feels serene, lights glowing in the distance.  
  
“Nice place.” Lena mutters. She wonders if there’s something watching her right now. The thought gives her goosebumps.  
  
Most spirits aren’t hostile anymore, but you never know in a place like this. The calmness of the area feels a bit too still to be comfortable. It gives off an unsafe feeling, Lena having experienced a false sense of security too many times before.  
  
Tentatively, she begins to walk.  
  
The world around her starts shifting into more de-saturated tones the farther she goes, gold and dark blue highlights popping in grays and blacks. Lena isn’t sure if it’s a good thing or not. Maybe it means nothing, maybe it means the worlds most hostile spirits territory.   
  
She passes a few spirits while walking, just small, seemingly harmless ones floating by or laying by trees. Some don’t pay her any mind. Others stare at her with an intensity that makes her walk faster until she’s sure they’re out of sight.  
  
Can they tell she’s the Avatar? Maybe they’re just curious. Maybe they want to eat her. Well, she hasn’t been attacked yet, so Lena tries to keep her anxiety at a reasonable level.  
  
It’s a little hard, considering she doesn’t know how long she’s going to be here. What if she’s stuck, aimlessly wandering forever until her real body dies?  
  
Lena grimaces.  
  
She tries to wonder about, instead, if there’s any other people here. She knows people come and go into the spirit world. Maybe she could ask for help? Would they even be able to help her?  
  
There’s too many questions and never any answers. Honestly, Lena’s tired of dealing with it. Her entire life has just been one big question.  
  
Lena almost doesn’t notice it, lost in her own thoughts, but she’s learned to still stay sharp and attentive throughout the years even when there’s a haze in her mind.  
  
Something’s in the distance.  
  
It’s a blobby figure, out in an area more sheltered by plants and trees. Whatever, or whoever it is seems to have a pretty normal figure to them, looking less... eldritch-horror-spirit than the others. It’s hard to tell, but it looks like they’re kneeling down.  
  
Lena hesitates.  
  
They could actually just be a spirit, but... “...Hey!” Lena stutters out. She cringes. After the unknowable time of just wandering, taking in all the natural sounds, her voice sounded weird now.  
  
The figure looks up. Well, too late to go back now.  
  
“I- uh... Hey, are you like, not a spirit?” If it _is_ a spirit, Lena is going to regret every single decision she’s ever made. She doesn’t know if she’s sounding offensive or not right now. Lena starts walking forward though, regardless if she’s about to die or not.  
  
The figure stands up, seeming a little bewildered as they simply just... _stare_ at Lena. The closer she gets she notices their mouth is agape. They look like they don’t believe she’s real.  
  
“Um.” Lena isn’t sure how to go about this. She keeps walking, though, even if her steps are faltering. “Are you okay?... are you...”  
  
Lena can make out their appearance pretty well now, only a few feet away, and it’s clear they’re a duck. They have long, messy and uneven hair, and their eyes are wide with surprise. One of their legs seemed amputated, being replaced with a tree-like prosthetic. Lena inwardly cringes at the implications. And, adorning them, was very familiar clothing she’d seen in many paintings or photos before of a _certain someone_ .  
  
Someone who went missing over a decade ago. Someone who was presumed dead. Someone who Lena had seen the people around her mourn, even if they never got to know _her_.  
  
An adventurer. A pilot.  
  
A mother.  
  
“...Della Duck?” The name slips from Lena’s mouth. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Della wasn’t someone who was talked about much, but she knew the impact her death- disappearance? had left on her family. To think she was just here, this entire time...  
  
Della seems to break out of her shock, shaking her head furiously. “You know me?!” She sounds confused and delighted all at once. “I- oh my god, I haven’t seen anyone else for so long... how do you know me? You’re not a spirit, right? You’re blue and transparent like a ghost- do you know my kids? _Are_ you one of my kids? How long have I even been gone, I can’t tell, time is weird here-”  
  
Lena raises her hands. “Woah! Uh, calm down lady. One at a time, but, yes, I know you, no I’m not a spirit I’m... projecting my spirit, though? I’m just a duck. Kind of. I’m not one of your kids, but I do know them. And... you’ve been gone for a long time.”  
  
Della’s expression goes melancholy for a split second, but she brings herself back to her speedy attitude. “My kids, how are they? What are you doing here? Who _are_ you?”  
  
“I’m Lena. Everyone is...” Lena hesitates, thinking about recent events. “They’re doing good. There’s Webby, too, she’s friends with them, practically their sister. Something kind of happened recently and I’m pretty sure my physical body is unconscious somewhere but I just woke up in this place. Honestly, I’m not sure why I’m here either.”  
  
Della blinks. “Unconscious? Oh, jeez, are you okay?” She reaches out to Lena slowly, then retracts right before she could touch, her face dawning with realization. “I- wait, you said you were _projecting_ your... are you... oh my god, how did I not realize?”  
  
“Am I the Avatar?” Della nods, seeming a little embarrassed with her belated realization. “Yeah, it’s, uh, pretty weird. Wouldn’t recommend it. People hate you because you’re ruining everything by existing or whatever.”  
  
“Does that have something to do with why you’re unconscious right now?”  
  
Lena scratches the back of her neck nervously, staring at her feet. “Kind of.” She hadn’t thought about it a lot since she got here. She didn’t want to. Thinking of Magica, what she’s _done_ , what she did to Webby, _herself_ -  
  
She chokes on a wet breath, instinctively moving to hold herself tightly as she shrinks away from Della. Her eyes stung, but none of the tears fell. Lena harshly wiped them away. This wasn’t the time.  
  
“I’m sorry.”  
  
Lena looks up. Della looks so, _so_ soft in a way Lena had never really seen in an adult before, someone looking at her with empathy and the willingness to understand, but not with pity.  
  
“What for?”   
  
“For whatever happened to you. What’s going to happen. I guess being the Avatar would suck, huh?” Della wrings her fingers around, a gesture Lena is familiar with, seeing Webby do it whenever she was nervous.  
  
Lena smiles weakly, shrugging. “Thanks. Do you wanna be caught up on what’s happening in the world now? Be warned, I’m not very caught up myself. I didn’t even know what an Avatar was until I met Webby.”  
  
“What?! Everyone's like, _born_ knowing what the Avatar is!”  
  
“I know, right?” Lena waves her hand. “I didn’t even know bending all the elements wasn’t normal! I just kind of thought, hey, everyone must all have favorites, or maybe they had some disability that made it so they could only bend one thing. I wasn’t going to be rude.”  
  
Della chuckles. “Of course not. But uh, we can go where I’ve been living for the past few weeks now to talk more, it’s a bit dangerous out here, I’m with a really nice group of spirits! They’ve helped me out so much since I met them, especially Penny, you _have_ to meet her, I feel like you’d both like each other! She acts kind of grumpy but I know she’s got a soft side.”  
  
“Sure, lead the way, captain.” Lena salutes. Talking with Della is… really easy. Kind of nice. She needed something like this, even if the circumstances are this.  
  
Della salutes back, grinning as she starts leading the way to the place she mentioned. “Pilot, actually. So... what are my kids like? Webby? I knew her as a baby before I left, she was real cute.”  
  
“She’s still really cute now.” Lena inhales sharply upon realizing what she just said, heat creeping up her neck and she _knows_ she’s blushing right now.  
  
“Ohhhhhhhhhh, gotcha.” Della cheekily grins. “So is it like a crush, or...”  
  
“Shut up.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah.”


End file.
